Getting a 6 month old- advice please!

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penny

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Getting a 6 month old- advice please!
I have decided not to get a young pup (under 12 weeks) at this time as I am concernd that with winter coming soon I will not be able to socialize the pup properly.

I am seriously considering getting a 6 month old pup. She has been raised in a home environment with shelties, cats and big dogs.

It has been a long time since I last brought home a pup. (That one was a borderX. My last 2, a sheltX and a shelt were both adult rescue dogs.)

I would love to hear about others experiences in bringing home pups of the 5-6-7 month range. Also any information/ advice on typical sheltie behaviours at this age, what mischief she might get into, and on how to help her adjust to her new home.

I really appreciate the advice, and I love reading about the shelties!
Penny
 
I brought my little boy home when he was 7 months. (He was 6 months when I first met him.)

I'll be honest, I don't remember a lot of what he got into but I do remember a very playful boy. He loved to attack our feet, play tug of war, and other games. Never fetch though... he just was never into fetch. He also loved to run and would zoom around the house.

He did LOVE to play with balloons though. Here's a video we were able to capture while playing with one for the first time, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCPPAQgb5zw.

As for socializing, he's a very well socialized pup as far as people go. (We always seem to have company at the house.) He's a bit dog shy for some reason but that's improving as we spend more time at agility classes. I think it's more because there aren't a lot of people around to do play dates with. The dogs at the dog part ... well, most of them I simply don't trust to behave. He does play very well and shows more interest in other Shelties than other breeds of dog.
 
a 6 month old pup still needs to be socialized.

I am worried about the cold weather too. My puppy is 4.5 month. I enrolled her in petsmart puppy classes. This way I can socialize her and stay warm at the same time. Do you have a petco, petsmart or any training places near you?

Right now she is the jumping and eating everything phase. She jumped into the dishwasher last week. She tries to jump on the coffee table every day. Jumps and pulls blankets off the top of her crate. She eats everything off the floor, inside and outside: hair, leaves, cigarettes, wood chips...anything that she can fit in her mouth.

So, I think you can expect a jumping, playful, teething and eats everything puppy. Make sure your house is puppy proof!
 
You will still want to get a 6 month old out to socialize, as even at that age, they can become backward if they aren't gotten out and exposed to the world.
I'd just make sure to meet the pup first, and ensure it is the right pup for you, as opposed to just taking it because it is an older pup.
So long as the current owner has done a good job socializing the pup, you shouldn't have much trouble in getting an older pup.
I have had it both ways- 8-12 weeks, and up to a year. I am not quite as happy with the ones I got at an older age as I am with the ones I got at 8-12 weeks, but a lot of that comes from me wanting to do performance events. It seems most dogs are not exposed to the things I would want a future performance dog exposed to early in life, and as such, they don't hold up to the things the ones I had from the get go can hold up to. Just different ways of being raised, and different expectations from me and their breeders..
 
I agree about seeing the puppy first. Was this puppy suggested to you by the breeder? Usually good breeders place the puppy with the people based on the puppies personality and the situation it will live in.
 
We got Maddie when she was 7 months. We met her once when she was about 4 months but at that time was not for sale. She is now 11 months old, and is in a level 3 training class.

Remember this is ADOLESCENCE TIME for dogs and as such she/he can be difficult in some areas. Right now we are dealing with prey drive and wanting to catch every squirrel she sees!

Training and socialization are important, as always. At this point in their lives they may already have tendencies to be shy, either to people or other dogs or both, which will be difficult and time consuming to overcome, but with time could improve (at least that is my personal hope!). Maddie, though great with her own pack, is leery of other dogs, but loves ALL people.

Enroll in an obedience class right away. Also, be prepared for accidents in the house until the pup learns the rules. Not as bad as a young pup, but just to be safe I took out my dog every 2 hours for the first month until she finally got that yeah, she had to go OUTSIDE the house, not in the living room. I also used the tether method to keep an eye on her until she was dependable/trustworthy in the house. Do not assume that just because it is an older pup it is housebroken! The plus side is they can hold it all night long in the crate!

I don't think bonding will be a concern. After just a few days Maddie settled in and treated us like her long lost family, as if she was waiting for us to come along (which I kind of feel like she was).

Activity! Be prepared to go go go with your active young dog! I have yet to tire my dog out, even after morning play sessions and bike rides! Still be cautious about jumping and rough play, growth plates are still not closed and damage can still be done to joints.

Remember your new pup is really more like a teenager, and things will go splendidly. Use kindness, patience, and have fun together! Good luck!
 
penny said:
Getting a 6 month old- advice please!
I have decided not to get a young pup (under 12 weeks) at this time as I am concernd that with winter coming soon I will not be able to socialize the pup properly.

I am seriously considering getting a 6 month old pup. She has been raised in a home environment with shelties, cats and big dogs.

It has been a long time since I last brought home a pup. (That one was a borderX. My last 2, a sheltX and a shelt were both adult rescue dogs.)

I would love to hear about others experiences in bringing home pups of the 5-6-7 month range. Also any information/ advice on typical sheltie behaviours at this age, what mischief she might get into, and on how to help her adjust to her new home.

I really appreciate the advice, and I love reading about the shelties!
Penny
Click to expand...

Our little boy Baron was almost 5 months when we brought him home, and he was an absolute BREEZE!! Our 2nd one Rookie was 8 weeks...and as much as we love him and would NEVER trade him for the world...he was a ton of more work being so much younger coming in ;-).. If I ever had the choice...all things equal...I'd choose an older pup without hesitation. I'm just getting too old for these little "infant" age puppers! lol

I should add that we had never brought an "older pup" into the family before...our pups had always been 8 weeks to 12 weeks. We were a little hesitant that maybe we'd missed out on some puppyhood...but we only missed out on some "work" ;-)..lol
 
I got Fergus when he was 3 1/2 months old. He was still pretty young not the 6 month old that you're thinking about. Even at that age he was so much easier than an 8 week old puppy. Housebreaking was a breeze. He had the concept in just a few days. I think as a whole he had only a couple of accidents in the house. I'd get an older puppy again in a heartbeat.
 
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